


Meant to be

by whatmakeslarrybeautiful



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Cheesy, Cliche, Cute, Flirting, Fluff, It's august i know, Love at First Sight, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Meet-Cute, One Shot, Romance, Self-Indulgent, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Valentine's Day, Writer Harry, Writer Louis, its a sapfest, just fluff, larry - Freeform, shameless flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-12 00:30:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20162701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatmakeslarrybeautiful/pseuds/whatmakeslarrybeautiful
Summary: ‘So. Are you gonna proclaim your undying love for me or should I do it? Because we just outsold every single hallmark movie ever,' may not have been the smoothest start to....well, anything, but maybe life imitates art. Art being every romance movie to exist. Whatever it was, maybe it worked in their favour.Or the ridiculously cheesy trope in which Harry bumps into Louis and its a cliché romantic modern day fairy tale unfolding from then. Sans actual fairies.





	Meant to be

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to a ridiculous amount of fluff and clichés. This fic is very self indulgent, hence the copious amounts of fluff and exaggerated cheesy tropes. Because a little fluff sometimes makes the world go round. One shot written mostly at 2 am in between short periods where writers block isn't a thing. Inspired by @kissiesncuddles prompt, who generally has the best prompt. Thanks lovely, for letting me get carried away from the prompt which is essentially the first line in the summary. 
> 
> Thank you, adios and until the next time I write which is probably after yet another year long hiatus x

‘Come on, don't fall, don't _ fall _,’ Louis hissed, at no one but the pile of paper bags of groceries he had stacked in his arms, as he hurriedly trudged his way back home. Early mornings weren't his favourite - and yes any time before 9 am was early, especially on a day he was off - and he mentally cursed himself for not choosing to wear a jacket as the chilly air nipped at his skin. He hauled the bags up higher, tightening his grip on them, breaths coming out in short foggy puffs. 

In his defence, he wasn't to be blamed for his current situation; his flatmate, Zayn had threatened to lock him out of the house if he hadn't bought the groceries by the time he'd wake up, and although Louis didn't think he'd actually do it, he wasn't going to take chances. The earlier the better, as the streets were quieter, and maybe he could please Zayn enough to bribe him into making him a proper breakfast; something he could only afford on days he didn't have to go to his office. He, however, neither expected it to be cold, nor anticipated the struggle he'd have to carry all the bags home alone seeing as the shop was nearby; if he'd known, he'd have taken his car. Zayn would freak if he got sick, being the proper mother hen he was.

Louis sighed, speeding up his pace; he wasn't much further away from his flat. For a second he gazed up at the sky and cursed grumpily, holding on to his bags for dear life. He could do this; _ he didn't need nobody to help him carry a couple of bags for fucks sake he's a strong, independent, capable man. _A strong man who was now half jogging the rest of the distance to his flat to save his groceries. He could barely see in front of him, with the big bags blocking his view, but he knew his neighbourhood like the back of his hand and honestly anyone coming in his direction would- he hoped- have enough common sense to avoid his step. 

Which was why he was totally caught unaware when he felt something big run into him -or had _ he _ run into the thing?- and he unwittingly shrieked as both his bags in his grip and himself wobbled dangerously. After a moment of disorientation, he realized that it wasn't a thing, but _ someone _ that had bumped into him, and said someone were quick enough to steady both him and his precious bags. With two hands on top of his own. Which he only registered because while his view was still somewhat obstructed by the darn bags, the little sparks flying between the skin of the stranger and him had him freezing. 

_ An instant connection, fireworks, _he thought, and slowly peeked his head around the side of the packages a little to take a look at the person who had saved his ass, both literally and metaphorically. Louis would never admit to it, but time seemed to slow down, a single rogue tomato from his bag falling out and rolling down the street as he gazed at the pretty stranger before him. 

‘_ Oh fuck, green eyes,’ _ Louis thought as he stared at the stranger, unmoving, mouth a little open. ‘ _ Oh god curly hair and dimples what the fuck,’ _ his mind helpfully supplied him as the man with his pretty curls pushed back by a bandana gave him a growing smile that edged on being a smirk, eyes alight with amusement. Louis, who was seemingly immobile now, ran a fleeting gaze over the man’s boyish features, slightly damp white t shirt, running shorts and tights underneath them that clung to his _ magnificent _legs (if he said so himself) and running shoes. And his gaze wandered back up to where his large hands were still on top of Louis’, apparently just as stuck as him as he hadn't bothered letting go even as seconds ticked. 

Louis lifted his gaze back up to Curly (as he had just cleverly named him) and flicked his hair out of his face, blurting out words before he could even stop them.

‘So. Are you gonna proclaim your undying love for me or should I do it? Because we just outsold every single hallmark movie ever.’

It took Curly’s loud, surprised honk of laughter for Louis to realize what he had said, and he immediately blushed, coughing and taking a step back, the connecting touch between them falling away. In his defense, he got very distracted by all that _ beauty _ just inches away from him. He chanced a look at the man, heat still flooding his face, only to see him still giggling _ and it was unfair, how pretty he was. _He mentally kicked himself for his lack of filter; he was gonna blame it on the fact that it was early, and on Curly. 

‘Well,’ Curly drawled in a deep voice, and Louis’ eyes widened, ‘since I'm the one who ran into you, and gracefully saved you, I'll do it,’ he giggled, fake clearing his throat and puffing out his chest. _ What was going on? _

'The moment I looked into your pretty blue eyes, I knew you were the one,’ he began, voice serious, but a shit eating grin threatening to take over his whole face. Louis laughed.

He dropped the act for a second, leaning in to whisper conspiratorially, ‘um. Give me a name.’ 

Louis rolled his eyes amusedly, humoring him. ‘Louis.’ Curly nodded seriously, and began again.

‘You are the most beautiful man I've ever seen, angels would be jealous of you.’ Despite knowing that the man was clearly just playing, he blushed again at the praise. 

‘I've fallen for you, Louis. Will you be mine?’ he ended, smiling at Louis crookedly. 

Louis’ eyes went round, pretending to sniffle and fluttered his lashes in faux surprise, even as his bags slipped lower, but giving him the chance to look a bit more directly at the boy. He held that look for a few beats, and then smirked.

‘Cheap and cheesy lines will get you nowhere, Curly.’ Louis bit his tongue at the nickname but Curly's smile turned a touch sweeter at it. _ He was fucked _.

The other man placed a hand on his hip. 'Oh yeah?’

‘Yeah. I've high standards, you know.’ 

Louis narrowed his eyes at the sudden glint in those green eyes. ‘Can't be that high, considering you're tiny.’

He glared in response, though he was fooling no one as he said dramatically, ‘Oh _ that's _ it. You call me tiny _ two _ minutes into meeting me?? Now I'm _ never _ marrying you!’

The boy giggled even as he brought a hand to his chest in exaggerated distraught. ‘Oh _ no _. What do I have to do to win your heart, and your hand in marriage, sweet Louis?’

Louis started walking in a desperate attempt to tighten his grip on the bags, and Curly jogged lightly next to him. 

‘I'm afraid it's too late to change my mind, fair….’ Louis dragged out, waiting for the boy to say his name.

‘Harry,’ came the answer, and he smiled. And then nearly dropped a bag, swearing, but Harry quickly saved it from falling and held it himself. Louis’ face flushed at the smirk that was playing on his lips at his clumsiness. _ The universe seemed to love making him make a fool out of himself in front of pretty boys. _

_' _Fair Harold. It's too late. You're gonna have to win my love now.’ Harry snorted, turning around to face Louis and jogging backwards lightly. 

‘I promise thee, I will win thine love back, and shall stop at nothing and seek no rest until I do’. Louis grinned.

‘Alright Shakespeare, alright.’

Harry pushed a loose curl that had fallen out of the bandana away from his forehead, huffing a bit, looking at him thoughtfully. Louis raised a brow back in question.

‘Let me help you carry those.’ Louis paused, and so did Harry. He shook his head. 

‘That won't be necessary mate.’

‘No I insist, please. I did bump into you and nearly send you falling after all, sorry for that by the way.’

‘S’ not your fault! I really should've looked where I was going.’

‘That's okay. I just wanna help, those seem a lot, and what if someone else runs into you? Can't have you professing your undying love to everyone now can I, it's _ our _special thing.’

Louis sighed, even as the corners of his mouth titled up. ‘My house is just nearby Harry.’

Wide eyes and almost pouting lips right in front of him was hard to ignore as Harry shrugged and replied, ‘so is mine, so it's not even a hassle.’

Louis knew there was no getting out of it, and he was not exactly going to complain if this pretty stranger that he had been rather quickly charmed by, wanted to help him carry the bags till his house. He gave in.

‘Alright then. Thanks mate!’ 

Harry lit up, and took a few bags from him, Louis’ arms instantly feeling the relief as he no longer had to stress over dropping them.

‘No problem, sweet Louis.’

Harry walked a few paces ahead, endless legs seeming to stride with ease, leaving Louis to gawk at said endless legs. He didn't even bother to try and catch up, watching him walk with purpose. A mischievous little smirk slipped onto his face as Harry put a few feet distance between them with his power walk.

‘Harold?’ He called out. Harry stopped, and turned back to face him, confusion wrinkling his features.

‘Yes Lewis?’ he shouted back, one dimple appearing cheekily. Louis rolled his eyes at the name, cocking his hip to the right.

‘Do you even know where you're going?’

Realization hit Harry as he bit his lip and shook his head, giggling. ‘Nope,’ he admitted. Louis walked towards him, shaking his head amusedly. 

‘Thought so. Where were you even headed?’

‘I think my legs just walked in the direction of my house on auto pilot to be honest.’ Louis chuckled at that, and they both walked steadily for the next few minutes in pleasant silence, eventually turning a corner into his street.

‘Wait a minute,’ Harry rushed out, brows furrowed, ‘do you live on this street?’

‘Yeah I do, second building. Here we are!’ Louis exclaimed, stopping as they reached the front of his building.

Harry stared at him, eyes shining with a hint of…...excitement? ‘Hey I live down the street! The building at the very end!!’ he exclaimed, bouncing back a bit on his toes.

Louis gasped. ‘What a coincidence!’ _ Really, _ he thought, _ what were the odds. Funny, that. _

‘Maybe it was meant to be,’ Harry said, voice swelling with emotion humorously and fluttering his lashes at him. Louis snickered at his antics. 

‘Thank god you live down the street and not next door,’ he began lightly, ‘or it would've been like in the you belong with me video, we sit at our windows and communicate back and forth via giant sloppily written messages on paper and making sad faces.’

Harry was giggling sweetly even before he finished, and a tingle of warmth burst across Louis’ skin in response. _ He definitely was not crushing, absolutely not. _

_ ‘ _Well, it was nice meeting you,’ Harry said finally, straightening up and carefully handing Louis his grocery bags.

Louis smiled kindly. ‘You too. And thank you for the help, by the way.’

Harry rubbed his neck, cheeks turning the lightest dusty pink for the first time, and Louis was _ thrilled _ in a way he couldn't yet explain. ‘It was nothing,’ he mumbled, looking up at Louis from beneath his lashes, ‘Hope to bump into you somewhere soon.’

‘Oh god, not literally, like today, I hope.’ They both chuckle at that. Louis climbed up the few stairs that lead to the door of the building, turning on the top step. Harry stood there, hands stuffed into his pockets, smiling at him.

‘Bye Harold.’

Harry did a cute little wave. ‘Bye Louis.’ After staring at him a touch longer, he jogged away down the street. Louis let out a deep sigh, and turned to the door, grateful for the warmth that embraced him once he was inside. 

_ Wow, what a day, _he thought to himself, as he made his way up to his flat. And if Harry's dimples and drawling voice wouldn't leave his mind for the rest of the day, then no one needed to know that.

\------------------------------

The ever so familiar warm toned office space was blissfully sparse on Monday morning as Louis walked in, with just a few people quietly chatting among themselves, a few getting coffee from the lunch room. He sighed gratefully; he wasn't fond of mornings but he did get there early enough so he could have a few minutes to settle in and wake his mind up before starting to work on whatever article was due the earliest. 

He made a beeline towards the lunch room at the end of the room, making himself a cuppa as he did every morning. As he stood there preparing the tea, he heard two people walk into the lunchroom, talking, and he couldn't help but overhear. It was Ben and Adriana, he recognized from their voices.

‘....wasn't Mr. Williams talking about hiring someone soon? Wait, aren't they supposed to start here around next week or something?’

‘Not next week. This week. Today actually, he's supposed to join the team today,’ he heard Adriana say, and that piqued his interest. _ Looks like their new fashion columnist was joining work today. _

Louis returned to his cubicle with a steaming cup and sat down, idly scrolling through his phone, replying to messages and occasionally sipping his tea. His work space wasn't so much as a cubicle as it was a long, spacious desk that had short half walls rising from the front and sides, giving the workers the illusion of personal space .At least his office wasn't boring greys and beige; it was a well lit and large space was welcoming. He sipped more tea, ignoring it scalding his tongue.

Vaguely, he picked up on the chatter around him grow louder slightly after a few minutes but he paid no mind to it; people were probably beginning to come in properly by now. He frowned minutely at his phone at the buzz of excited conversation around him, a bit strange for a Monday morning but he assumed that was just him being his usual grumpy self during early Monday mornings. He was an expert at tuning out things that didn't concern him at this point, _ except _. 

Except Louis heard a sound that instantly sent little sparks up his skin. A laugh. That he had heard only two days ago. He snapped his head up, twisting around wildly to find the source and voila, there he was. He was a bit too far and hidden by a few people in his line of sight but he was certain to whom the pretty curls belonged to. And he was right. Pretty curls turned his head and lo and behold, it indeed was Harry. 

Louis gaped for a minute. In what -almost hilariously cliche- twist of fate had Harry ended up being his new coworker? That seemed almost too good to be true. He was certain he looked a bit like a cartoon character, complete with jaw threatening to drop to the floor and eyes bugging out of their sockets. 

He didn't have much time to mull over these coincidences though, because Harry was walking his way, to the cubicle that was two down the row, which was currently unoccupied by any employee. Louis pushed his seat away from his desk, turning it to face Harry, leisurely crossing a leg over the other. He had not seen Louis yet, eyes fixated on the ground, steps no longer sure and long, but uneven and lost. As he slowly got closer to where he was sat, Louis could tell he was nervous, with the way he kept tucking the hair falling into his eyes behind his ear. He leaned back in his chair, grinning.

‘Fancy meeting you here, Harold.’

Harry was close enough for Louis to hear him gasp, and then smirked as he instantly looked up and made eye contact with him, a hand placed on his chest, huffing out a breath. 

‘Louis?? What are you doing here?’ he asked, voice going several octaves higher in surprise, eyes wide. 

‘Take a look around sunshine,’ he started, _ and thank god his wits were back with him today, unlike last time, he was in his element, _‘I work here, obviously. As do you now, I'm assuming. Unless you stalked me till you found out where I worked.’

‘Jesus Christ Louis. What the fuck, you startled me,’ he complained, though his lovely green eyes were sparkling. 

‘Ooohh swearing at your new workplace already mate? Bad Harold,’ Louis mocked, full with a parental finger waggle. Harry rolled his eyes.

‘It's Harry, and shut up. I do start my job here today yeah; I'm the new columnist for the fashion section. And why would I stalk you till I found your workplace??’’

‘I don't know,’ he said, tapping his chin in mock thought, ‘but maybe you're still trying to win back my love?’

Harry's eyes narrowed in confusion only for a split second before it lit back up as he chuckled. ‘Sure Louis, that's exactly why I decided to start working at Spectrum. So I could continue to woo you.’

‘I knew it.’ They both laughed, a little giddy. Louis stood up too, not wanting to remain sat down and looking up at him. This way, and with no pesky bags to distract him, he noticed he was a few inches shorter than Harry, and Harry must've noticed too, because he was smiling at him, nose doing a ridiculous little scrunch. An endearing little scrunch. 

‘But really, can't believe you work here too. I mean, it's pretty crazy, that I run into you, and now we're like, co workers,’ Harry said, gesturing between them. 

‘Yeah it's pretty wild. How come you're starting work here, like, where were you working at before this?’ 

‘Uh I just moved to this city a couple weeks ago actually,’ Harry admitted, rubbing his neck. ‘Was busy settling in, and then luckily managed to land this job. I'm glad I could.’

‘Yeah, me too,’ Louis nodded along distractedly, his gaze having shifted to focus on how Harry touched his lips quite often when he was talking. And then he caught himself as he saw a half smirk tugging at those lips. He'd been caught. ‘I mean, I'm glad you got the job. Here. Soon after you moved, y'know. I'm glad.’

‘Yeah, so am I. Wait,’ Harry paused, a frown creasing his forehead, ‘what happened to ...uh whoever was working in my post before me? Just out of curiosity.’

‘Shhhh,’ Louis hissed dramatically, shifting closer and boldly gripping Harry's shoulder. Harry blinked back in shock, eyes flitting once from where Louis’ hand was on him, right back into his eyes. 

‘What is it?’ Harry whisper yelled, moving closer too. 

‘We don't talk about why previous writers left to our new team members.’

‘Why not?’

‘It's bad juju,’ Louis whispered conspiratorially, delighted at the easy grin that cracked across Harry's lips, and he had to hold himself back from not poking the dimple that appeared.

‘Bad juju? Seriously?’ Harry asked, brows raised, voice cracking in disbelief.

‘Yup.’ Louis let go of his shoulder, shrugging. Harry scoffed.

‘There's no way you believe that.’

‘Oh we do. We take bad juju very seriously. Us writers, this kinda thing could _ really _ fuck it up for us,’ he nodded seriously, and he could tell Harry wasn't buying a second of any of it, and he bit back a grin.

‘Fine weirdo, don't tell me,’ Harry said with a slight pout, and Louis ignored the way it felt like his heart had swallowed helium. 

‘Aw darling, don't pout’-

‘OI !! Tommo, quit flirting with the newbie!’ 

Louis looked over Harry's shoulder to see his best mate Niall stood at the end of the room, smiling devilishly at him. Louis glared at him, hearing Harry quietly chuckle next to him. 

‘Don't you have something you should be doing that's actually productive?’ he yelled back. 

‘Don't _ you _have something you should be doing too, besides flirting with our new writer?’

Louis scowled at the impish grin that never left Niall’s face, and flipped him off, hearing his loud cackle in response. _ He was dead the next time he saw him. _

‘So. Do you flirt with all the new writers that join this company?’ Louis brought his gaze back to Harry, who wore a teasing smile on his lips. A coy smile made its way to his own lips. 

‘Nah. Only with the pretty and charming ones that bump into me.’ He watched as a sweet blush creeped up high on Harry's cheeks as he looked away and giggled. 

‘Smooth. Hallmark just stole that line from you as we speak.’ 

‘Piss off, you know you love it.’ Harry just rolled his eyes in response, and they stood there for a minute smiling at each other. Till Harry sighed and glanced at his watch. 

‘I think I've got to go and settle in and stuff, meet the manager, get started, all of that.’ 

‘Yeah, yeah of course. I've taken up enough of your time. Wait, you're doing the fashion column right?’ 

Harry nodded. ‘Yeah I am.'

Louis gave him a quick once over, nodding appreciatively at his outfit. At Spectrum, they were given a bit more freedom than usual office rules when it came to attires, so Harry's personal style definitely shined through.

‘Well if your outfit can be indicative of your general knowledge and passion for fashion, then I think you're gonna do great. Good luck on your first day Harry,’ he said earnestly. Harry smiled softly, head ducking under the praise. 

‘Thank you Louis.’

‘Your desk is the second one down from mine. Go ahead. I'll catch you sometime during a break or something.’

‘Yeah of course. Thank you,’ Harry mumbled again, and slowly started walking towards his desk. Louis’ smile was pretty much glued onto his face at this point as he sat back down and wheeled his chair towards his desk. 

‘Hey Louis?’ The deep voice spoke just inches away from his ear and he startled, banging his knee on the table as he whirled around. 

‘Harry.’ 

Louis tried to glare at him for startling him, probably getting him back for startling him earlier, in jest, but he failed because _ oh Harry was so close to him and he was really really prettier up close and he felt frozen in place. _

‘Oops. Didn't mean to startle you. But I had something very important to ask,’ Harry said, voice coming out in a low rumble, the glint in his eye giving him away. 

‘Yes?’

Harry cocked his head to the left, lips stretching into a full smile before he even got the words out. ‘Have I won your heart back yet?’

Louis pretended to be in deep thought, struggling to keep his face impassive as he answered, ‘not yet, Shakespeare, but keep trying.’

‘Dammit,’ Harry giggled, and then backed away and walked off to his desk. Louis let out a deep exhale. And then breathed evenly thrice more to get his heart to calm down. Only then, did he switch on his computer, ready to start work for the day, well, albeit a bit distractedly. _ Stupid dimples. _

_ \----------- _

Harry had just finished having his lunch at the office lunchroom, which was slightly more eventful than he had expected, as quite a few of the people that worked there had stopped by to introduce themselves to him. He had chatted with them politely as he ate, even as his eyes occasionally kept flickering around them, trying to spot a certain familiar face. Once most people had left back to their work spots and the room had cleared a bit, Harry saw him, sat at a corner table, head kept down, possibly looking at his phone. 

Harry walked towards him, smiling, and watched as Louis crumpled up a bit of foil into a ball and without looking up, threw it into the bin behind him. He let out a whispered ‘yesss’ as it fell into the bin, and Harry's grin grew.

‘Mind if I sit here?’

Louis whipped his head up, eyes lighting up when his gaze landed on Harry's face. For a second, Harry couldn't look away from the electrifying blue that held him in place, and took another second to realize how fucked he was, before he blinked as Louis’ voice cut through his seconds long stupor.

‘Depends. Is this our third date and have you brought me flowers?’

Harry paused with one hand on the chair, brows furrowed in confusion. ‘When did we go on two dates?’

‘Well technically, as per how horribly cliche movies go,’ Louis began, tilting his head and resting it on top of his hands, teasing smile on his lips, ‘the time we _ romantically _ bumped into each other would be one, and our _ charming _ talk at the office would be two. Unofficial dates. It's in the book of romance.’

Harry let out a bark of surprised laughter, then immediately clamped his hand over his mouth, horrified. Louis’ smile grew. 

‘Well then. I suppose this is our third date,’ Harry replied, catching on, a matching smile growing on his face. 

‘Lovely. Have you brought me flowers or chocolate then?’ 

Harry rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, pulling on a thoughtful face. ‘Actually,’ he began, only to be interrupted by Louis’ deadpan ‘please tell me you do not not have either of those things’.

Harry stared at his wide eyed face in utter seriousness for several beats before breaking into a fit of giggles. ‘You should've seen- you should've seen the look on your face,’ he managed while laughing, and Louis half scowled at him.

‘Yeah yeah. You're a little shit,’ he grumbled, not looking bothered in the slightest. Harry hummed, falling into the seat across Louis and grinning cheekily at him.

‘I was gonna say that I brought two muffins from home with me, so they could do instead of chocolates or flowers?’ He asked, raising a brow at him. 

‘Well, they're no flowers, but I appreciate the sentiment. You should have them though, you'll get hungry.’

Harry shook his head. ‘No you can have one, I just had my lunch before I spotted you sitting here.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yeah I'm sure, have it,’ Harry urged, and Louis looked at him for a few seconds before he relented, and took the muffin. He slowly unwrapped it and took a bite, moaning quietly in appreciation. 

‘This is good, better than most store bought muffins I've had,’ he mumbled around the muffin, and Harry felt warmth pool somewhere in his gut.

‘I made them,’ he informed, a touch shy, giggling as Louis stopped chewing to stare at him, cheeks puffed out and looking every bit adorable.

‘You made them??’ He asked after swallowing. 

‘Yeah I,’ Harry started, gaze flitting to the table as he shrugged modestly, ‘I bake a little.’

‘So you baked muffins to charm your new colleagues? Aren't you a darling.’

‘I did not!’ Harry retorted, kicking at Louis’ shin lightly. ‘I just bake in my spare time, as a hobby! I just- I had an extra one with me so.’

‘Which you chose to share with me? When it could've been _ anyone? _Awww Harold, I'm touched,’ Louis cooed, voice honey sweet to mock him. 

‘You're absolutely AWFUL, I regret sharing the muffin,’ Harry huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. 

Louis’ eyes twinkled as he delicately held a hand over his chest. ‘No! I'm flattered darling, really.’ Harry felt warmth slowly creep up his neck at the pet name, and if Louis noticed, then he paid no mind to it.

‘How is your first day going so far?’ He then asked, still cutely munching on the muffin. Harry shrugged

‘It's going alright. Got to talk to a few other writers. Well, they came up to me, quite a few of them, introduced themselves, just asked a bit about me.’

Louis was listening eagerly, and Harry leaned in, dropping his voice. ‘Don't tell them this, but I'm bad with names and I definitely don't remember every single person that came up to me.’ 

Louis laughed, and Harry was a bit of a goner for the way he seemed to light up when he smiled or laughed, eyes crinkling at the sides. He couldn't get enough of it, tiny pinpoints of giddiness shooting through him each time he made him laugh.

‘They're all very nice though,’ Harry continued, ‘I feel pretty welcome here, so that's nice.’

‘Yeah everyone's pretty lovely around here, and you fit right in, so I'm glad you feel welcome.’ Harry smiled softly in response, a mirroring expression of content settling over Louis’ features too. 

Conversation came easy eith Louis, Harry realized, as they sat there talking for a while, jumping from topic to topic with ease. Louis was bright; loud energy, wit, sense of humour and gentleness, all contained beautifully in a compact frame. Harry only knew him since the day he ran into him, but the way they clicked so well meant that time rolled by quickly. 

Louis checked his phone, and sighed deeply. ‘I've got to get back now H, I'd love nothing more than to sit here with you and talk, but articles aren't gonna write themselves, unfortunately.’

Louis definitely looked a bit put out at having to go, and Harry automatically pouted, even as he nodded understandingly. 

‘Oh come on, don't sulk Harry. I would gladly sit and talk the whole day if I could.’

An idea popped into Harry's mind, and he perked up, albeit with slight nerves firing up. _ This was perfect opportunity though and he had to take it. _

‘Well…..’ he drawled. Louis shot him a look.

‘Whaaat? Harry, you're charming and everything but I can't really skip work and sit’-

‘No you idiot! I'm not asking you to stay, of course we've both got to go back. I meant,’ Harry tried to shrug nonchalantly, though his throat felt a little dry, ‘we could continue talking. Later during the day I mean. Or well, night. _ Or _not, whatever you want.’ 

Harry chanced a glance at Louis, who was watching him with amusement dancing in his eyes. He groaned quietly, face feeling hot. _ Real smooth, Harry. _

‘Really?’ Louis asked, batting his lashes at him innocently, smirk creeping onto his lips, ‘and how do you propose we do that, hmm?’

‘It's called a phone Louis, you might have heard of it?’ Harry quipped, no heat in his voice, but blush deepening. 

‘If you wanted my number, all you had to do was ask love.’ 

‘Shut up. It's not like that I- we're work mates now yeah? Uh...what if I had questions related to work?’

‘You want my number to talk outside of work, just so you can talk about work?’ Louis teased, and Harry bit his lip, no longer looking at him.

‘Uhhh….’

‘Alright Harry, whatever you say. Gimme your phone.’ Harry took his phone out and pushed it towards Louis, his face still burning. He heard him tap a few numbers into his phone, saving his contact, and then handed it back. 

‘Here you go. In case you get any burning questions about work.’

‘Shut upppp,’ Harry whined, and Louis chuckled.

‘Just teasing Harold. I'd have asked if you hadn't, probably.’ At that, Harry finally lifted his gaze, to see Louis gazing at him. 

‘Really? You would have?’

‘Depends. Are you still trying to win my heart then?’ 

Harry leaned in. ‘Depends. Is it working, sweet Louis?’ 

‘Hmm. Well, you brought me neither flowers nor chocolate, but you _ did _ share a muffin, so mayyyybe, a bit. I'm not easily won, y'know.’ 

Harry rolled his eyes. ‘I'll keep that in mind.’ He got up, and Louis followed, groaning as he stretched. 

‘Work,’ Louis grunted, motioning to the doorway. Harry shrugged, and they shared a quiet smile for a second.

‘Work,’ Harry agreed, and they both headed out back into the office space. He sent a silent cheers to whatever power up there that was turning all odds so far in his favor, and sat down at his desk to resume writing, feeling pleasantly light and giddy.

\-------------------

** **

*Two weeks ish later*

** **

Harry walked into the office, arriving a bit early as he usually did. His eyes instantly searched out for Louis, and when his gaze landed on him, Harry frowned. Louis seemed to be particularly focused on his work today, his back a curved line as he hunched over, typing away. Which was odd because he usually looked up as Harry entered, since two weeks, always smiling, sometimes throwing him a cheeky wink, chatting a little. That's why Harry arrived early in the first place; because he knew Louis did too, and they got to hang out a bit before they had to work.

Harry sighed, smoothing the front of his pale cream satin shirt down, took a second to ruffle his curls as he gazed at Louis a beat longer. He had put extra effort into his looks today, wanting to impress. It was Valentine's day and normally he'd be least bothered, but he was on a mission this time. The mission being that he wanted to ask Louis out at least today. 

They both had been texting and talking frequently, and Harry felt like he had known Louis for longer than two weeks. He wasn't entirely sure if they were on the same page here but with the flirting and catching each other looking at each other fondly, he could only assume so. _ No harm in trying, right? _Harry had almost asked Louis out a couple times before today, always chickening out at the last moment. But today that had to change.

Since Louis appeared to be focused on work, Harry decided to leave him be for now. He could ask later. He sighed again, jittery, as he walked ahead to his little cubicle. And stopped mid-step, staring wide eyed. At the huge bouquet of flowers and a muffin on his table. He was going to _ cry _. He took a few steps closer, heart kickstarting up into frenzy, one hand coming up to his mouth, as he picked up a card that lay next to the flowers. And instantly sputtered out a laugh of disbelief and joy as he read the words written in a messy scrawl: 

'You've charmed your way into my heart. Will you go out with me, fair Harold? xx. (P.s. whether you accept or not, I hope you like the flowers, and happy Valentine's Day love.)

Harry laughed again, touching the flowers in gentle awe. They were beautiful and his favorite; pink carnations, adorned by little baby breaths. His heart felt like it had grown twice as big with how touched he was at the sweet gesture. Something clicked, and he whipped his head up to look at Louis two seats to his right. Who had now wheeled his chair away from his desk and was sat turned towards him, looking at him intently. Which meant he had definitely seen Harry's jaw dropped expression. Heat crept up his cheeks, as a face splitting smile broke across his face.

Louis cocked his head, resting his face in his palm, as if wordlessly asking him 'so?’, a smile on his face ever growing. Harry shook his head fondly and marched right up to him, who was practically beaming by then. 

'You think you can woo me with just flowers and a sweet note on the cheesiest day of the year?’

Louis’ eyes sparkled, looking up at him. 'I don't know, you tell me? I was hoping so.’

Harry stared at him, sure his eyes reflected the same softness that Louis was directing at him. Without hesitating, he swiftly bent down, leant in and kissed Louis’ soft cheek, hearing his tiny gasp of surprise. For a second, Harry was overwhelmed by feeling him so close, the scent of his cologne being heady.

Before pulling back, he murmured, 'I’m free after work tonight. Pick me up two hours after? I'll text you my address.’ Harry pulled back to see Louis looking slightly dazed with shock. He grinned wider. 

'Oh and pick a place. I have high standards, y'know. It better be rom-com worthy or no official second date for you, Tomlinson,’ he added teasingly, mocking Louis’ words from when he had first run into him.

Louis snapped out of it, leaning back in his chair. 'It's gonna be the best date of your life Styles, gonna sweep you right off your feet,’ he quipped in return. 

‘You look beautiful by the way, you always do, but today especially,’ he added, softer and earnest, and that was enough for Harry to drop the smug act and get flustered, his fingers toying with the hem of his shirt. 

'Thanks Lou,’ he mumbled, pleased. 

‘Hey, I've got to get back to it, I've a piece that is due today, I'm just proofreading it. I'll catch you later love, okay?’ Louis asked, smiling apologetically. 

‘Yeah of course. And thank you for the flowers Lou,’ he said bashfully, and Louis waved him off with an equally bashful smile tugging at his lips. 

Harry turned and sat at his desk, pushing the flowers gently to a corner of the table, unable to stop smiling at them so wide it hurt. And there he was wondering if they were on the same page, when they were on the same line. He shook his head fondly. _ Mission accomplished, even if a bit differently in the end. _

\-------------

** **

*few months later, somewhere where the two are in their own little cocoon*

‘Hey Lou?’

‘Yes love.’

A pause, and a teasing smile graced Harry's lips. ‘Have I won your heart yet?’

Louis chuckled, Harry feeling the reverberations under his palm. ‘Of course you have, baby, literally since the first time we met, remember?’

‘Wow. The romcoms called; they want their dialogue back.’ Louis was just inches away from his face, gaze fixed on him. 

‘Shut it, Harold. It's true, even if it's awfully cheesy.’ A gentle hand tugged playfully at the curls at the nape of his neck, and Harry shivered slightly. 

‘I suppose we are a bit of a cliche though,’ Louis added, softer, his whole demeanour nothing but fond, and Harry was slowly being sucked into the saccharine calm that they were wrapped up in.

‘Mhmm, we are, huh. I love cliches though,’ Harry added, distractedly, inching closer.

‘So do I.’

‘Cliche worked out for us babe.’ Harry cupped Louis’ face, thumbing over his bottom lip.

‘Yes it did, thank you Cupid. Or whatever winged creature of love directed us into a romance movie. Awfully kind of them, really, to help us out like that-’

Louis didn't finish his ridiculous ramble as Harry pressed his lips sweetly against his, eyes shut, and smiled a little as he felt Louis smiling into their chaste kiss. He pulled back just an inch away, still cupping Louis’ face.

‘Just kiss me, you fool.’

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, you can find me @OWildeLarry on twitter :) x


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